Mobile machines, for example haul trucks and wheel loaders, often have optional equipment that can be added to the machines after the machines have been manufactured and delivered to the customer. Some of this equipment can require operator control devices, such as switches, in order to activate the equipment. Often, these control devices are custom fabrications produced at the customer site by the customer and/or by a local service technician.
Although acceptable in many applications, the custom-fabricated interface devices can be expensive to build and assemble, and may not have sufficient safety features. For example, the control devices may be designed to receive only a single type of switch and mount at a single location and/or in a single configuration on the machine. As such, any change to the equipment controlled by the device and/or to the machine at the control location may necessitate fabrication of a new device. Further, the custom-fabricated control devices may not be equipped with guards and/or covers to protect the switches or prevent unintentional actuation.
An exemplary switch assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,456 that issued to Schaefer on Aug. 11, 1998 (“the '456 patent”). In particular, the '456 patent discloses an electrical overload switch for a dynamoelectric machine. The switch is mounted in a conduit box, and electrical conduits are routed thereto for resetting the dynamoelectric machine after it is shut down due to an overload condition. The conduit box has opposing side and end walls, and an open top and bottom. A bracket on which the switch is mounted is sized to fit in the box adjacent an opening in one wall of the box. One face of the conduit box is curved to match an outer shell of the dynamoelectric machine. Curved mounting flanges are formed at the curved face of the box to receive mounting fasteners that connect the conduit box to the dynamoelectric machine.
Although adequate in some situations, the switch assembly of the '456 patent may have limited application and benefit. In particular, the switch assembly is configured to be mounted to only the dynamoelectric machine and in only one configuration. In addition, the '456 patent provides little or no protection against unintentional actuation of the overload switch.
The disclosed switch assembly is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.